15th Test Squadron
}} The 15th Test Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Air Force Materiel Command at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where it was inactivated. History World War II Activated in early 1941 as part of the Southeast Air District, was equipped with a series of pursuit aircraft with a mission of air defense of Florida. After the Pearl Harbor Attack, was assigned to the Caribbean Air Force in Panama where it operated in defense of the Panama Canal. Returned to the United States in early 1943 where it became a P-47 Thunderbolt, later P-51 Mustang replacement training unit (RTU) for III Fighter Command. Inactivated on 1 May 1944 as part of a reorganization of training units. Air Defense Reactivated in 1953 as part of Air Defense Command as an air defense squadron, initially equipped with F-86A Sabre day fighters, initially being assigned to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona with a mission for the air defense of the Southwest United States. Re-equipped in 1954 with F-86D Sabre Interceptors. In 1957 began re-equipping with the North American F-86L Sabre, an improved version of the F-86D which incorporated the Semi Automatic Ground Environment, or SAGE computer-controlled direction system for intercepts. The service of the F-86L destined to be quite brief, since by the time the last F-86L conversion was delivered, the type was already being phased out in favor of supersonic interceptors. In 1960 received the new McDonnell F-101B Voodoo supersonic interceptor, and the F-101F operational and conversion trainer. The two-seat trainer version was equipped with dual controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable. On 22 October 1962, before President Kennedy told the nation that missiles were in place in Cuba, the squadron dispersed a portion of its force, equipped with nuclear tipped missiles to Williams Air Force Base at the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis.McMullen, Richard F. (1964) "The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964" ADC Historical Study No. 27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO (Confidential, declassified 22 Mar 2000), pp. 10-12 These planes returned to Davis-Monthan after the crisis. In the early 1960s, the Air Force was implementing Project Clearwater, an initiative to withdraw Convair F-102 Delta Daggers from overseas bases in order to reduce "gold flow" (negative foreign currency transactions).McMullen, p. 51 By 1963, part of this plan called for the 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Naha Air Base to move to Davis-Monthan,The original plan was to move the 16th to Edwards Air Force Base, but military construction costs to base the squadron there were prohibitive, so Davis-Monthan was selected. McMullen, pp. 60-61 permitting the 15th's F-101s to be distributed to other ADC squadrons. Because there would be a gap between the transfer of the 15th's F-101s and the arrival of the 16th's F-102s, eight F-102s from Perrin Air Force Base would maintain alert at Davis-Monthan. As another cost saving move, planning called for the 16th to be inactivated upon arrival at Davis-Monthan and the 15th to assume its aircraft. However, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident intervened and the 16th was kept in the Pacific to maintain an air defense capability there. Headquarters, USAF directed ADC to simply inactivate the 15th with no replacement. The squadron degraded to a marginally combat ready status by October 1964 and was inactivated in December.McMullen, pp. 63-64 Test The 2872d Test Squadron was activated at Hill Air Force Base, Utah to perform flight tests on General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons that had undergone major overhaul or modification. In 1992 the squadron was consolidated with the 15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron as the 15th Test Squadron. Lineage 15th Test Squadron * Constituted as the 15th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated 15th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 : Disbanded on 1 May 1944 * Reconstituted on 10 March 1947 : Activated in the reserve on 12 March 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 11 February 1953 : Activated on 20 April 1953 : Inactivated on 24 December 1964 * Consolidated on 1 October 1992 with the 2872d Test Squadron as the 15th Test Squadron * Inactivated unknown 2872d Test Squadron * Designated as the 2872d Test Squadron and activated on 15 January 1988 * Consolidated on 1 October 1992 with the '''15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron as the 15th Test Squadron Assignments : 53d Pursuit (later Fighter) Group, 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944 : Detached to Sixth Air Force, 2 January – 10 November 1942 * Eleventh Air Force, 12 March 1947 : 419th Troop Carrier Group, 30 September 1947 – 27 June 1949 : 34th Air Division, 20 April 1953 : Los Angeles Air Defense Sector, 1 January 1960 : Phoenix Air Defense Sector, 1 May 1961 – 4 December 1964 : Ogden Air Logistics Center, 15 January 1988 - unknown Stations * MacDill Field, Florida, 15 January 1941 * Dale Mabry Field, Florida, 8 May – 18 December 1941 * La Chorrera Army Airfield, Panama, 2 January – 10 November 1942 * Dale Mabry Field, Florida, 26 November 1942 * Drew Field, Florida, 6 January 1943 * Page Field, Florida, 5 February 1943 – 1 May 1944. * Andrews Field (later Andrews Air Force Base), Maryland, 12 March 1947 – 27 June 1949. * Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 20 April 1953 – 4 December 1964 * Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 15 January 1988 - unknown Aircraft * Seversky P-35, 1941 * Curtiss P-40 1941 * P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1943 * P-51 Mustang, 1943 * P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944 * F-86A Sabre, 1953 * F-86D Sabre Interceptor, 1954–1957 * F-86L Sabre Interceptor (SAGE) 1957-1959 * F-89J Scorpion, 1959–1960 * F-101B Voodoo, 1960–1964 See also References Notes Bibliography * * * McMullen, Richard F. (1964) "The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964" ADC Historical Study No. 27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO (Confidential, declassified 22 Mar 2000) Category:Military units and formations of the United States in World War II Category:Military units and formations in Arizona